Elementals: A New Era: Book One

Chapter Five

Luke stood on the grassy plains, the wind sweeping across the grass and ruffling his clothes. He took a deep breath in. Living in the city his whole life, he never got to see much of the outside world, the world untainted by Human interference. Out here, the world felt serene, it felt peaceful, it felt real.

"Glad you're enjoying some freedom," Tsubaki called from across the plains.

"Even if it's all fake," Andrew's voice came from somewhere above him and to his right.

"This place is amazing," Luke replied, looking around the large forest off to his right, and then to the crashing waves to his left.

"It can be anything we want it to," Tsubaki explained. "The Holodecks are a great way to train people without being on location, we can give them any harsh environment we want."

"We figured a flat plain would suit you both best," Andrew explained.

"Now then," Tsubaki began, testing his muscles. "Please go easy on me, I am but an old frail man."

"Alright old man, bring it," Luke taunted.

"Oh he's going to die," Andrew spoke to Stacey as she stood from her chair. The two of them sat in a small control room that overlooked the Holodeck.

"Let me know how things go," Stacey remarked as she hurriedly put her coat on. "I got a meeting with Premier Ibbotson."

"Stace are you-?" She was gone.

"Okay," Luke thought. "If he's a hundred pound wolf, and we're forty feet away from each other, then he should take-"

Luke's thoughts were cut off as Tsubaki's snout touched his own nose in an instant. Another instant passed as Luke found himself tumbling through the Air, everything spinning around him as he climbed. He tried to right himself but found the red and black Wolf appearing above him before slamming him down with something. Luke plummeted towards the ground, but this time he wasn't afraid, being a constant angle to the ground gave him just what he needed to save himself. As he neared the soft grass, he flipped himself over and turned his body, sliding across the top of the grass as he stopped his momentum. He stood and shook himself out.

"Whoo! That was cool."

"Tell me, young one," Tsubaki called as he landed softly. "What exactly are your Powers? You called yourself a Gravity Elemental, but you aren't like him."

"Uhh I don't know," Luke shrugged. "Everything I look at, I see a ball inside it, and I can change the amount of force that is acting on it. And, can I have a cube?" As he finished asking, a large Metal cube appeared between them. "I can push things, pull them." The cube responded to his hand motions. "Make them float, shoot them up in the Air, make them crash down." Dirt and rubble exploded as it landed. Luke raised his other hand and began manipulating the cube. "I can shift it by increasing the drag and pull on it too."

"So when you landed, you...?"

"Decreased the amount of Gravity that was acting on my body, as well as increased the amount of resistance my feet had so I could land soft and glide above the grass," Luke explained. He began to blush and rub the back of his head. "Sorry if that's a little too nerdy."

"That's so fucking cool!" Andrew exclaimed. "You're so cool, Luke!"

Luke smiled and chuckled before looking over at Tsubaki, the Wolf stared at him intently.

"Very interesting. Shall we test the limits of your Powers?"

Before Luke could respond, Tsubaki was lunging at him with fangs barred. Luke thrust out a hand and halted Tsubaki in mid Air before his jaws could clamp down upon him. The Air around Tsubaki shimmered as a Wolf made of Air leapt from his left and right. The Wolves snarled before leaping at him as well. Luke pushed himself backwards and downwards until he lay above the grass, sliding himself away from the wolves as he picked himself up and spun to face Tsubaki. Luke had created small orbs of Zero Gravity beneath his feet which allowed him to glide effortlessly across the surface of anything beneath him. He felt the Water splash beneath his feet as he hovered above it. Luke thought for a moment and realized he wasn't anywhere near the ocean though, in fact it was in front of him, behind Tsubaki, so why was there...? Once more Luke found himself being flung into the Air, this time by a whip of Water that had wrapped itself around his foot before throwing him directly upwards. A gust of wind warned Luke of the impending danger as Tsubaki rushed towards him. Time slowed as Luke flipped himself in midair and found himself above the Wolf, bringing his hand around and unleashing a blast of pure Gravity into the back of the elderly Wolf.